Arkansas High faces down No. 1 Little Rock Parkview
LITTLE ROCK — It may be more about the Jimmies and Joes rather than the X’s and O’s in the Razorbacks’ attempt to slay the dragon tonight at 7 p.m. under the lights of War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
The stage will be a bit bigger and the lights will likely be even brighter for Arkansas High when they square off against the defending 5A state champion Patriots in a week seven conference matchup.
The presumed ‘David vs Goliath’ contest will feature a team in Little Rock-parkview (6-0, 3-0) that has won 17 consecutive games dating back to week four of the 2022 season, as well as winners of their last 10 league dates in a row.
The Razorbacks (4-2, 1-2), for their part, have suffered two consecutive setbacks after getting out to a fast 4-0 start. However, their postseason aspirations do still exist, thanks in part to the tight race in the middle of the 5A-south standings and four weeks left to determine the playoff picture. The Hogs
currently sit in the fifth spot inside of league play just behind the Lakeside Rams, who are responsible for the latest defeat of the Porkers.
Despite the recent turbulence, the Razorbacks still have high hopes of finishing their second-half season slate the way they picture it.
“It was a great day,” Arkansas High head coach Trey Outlaw said. “We are really focused, and our guys are really looking forward to playing probably the best team in the state, regardless of classification.
The great thing about football is you get to play the good and you get to play the bad, and you never really know how good you are until you measure yourself up against the best team in the state. We are looking forward to it.
“It goes along with our mental toughness guide. It doesn’t matter if it’s the worst team or the best team, we just want to play. We are going to put our money where our mouth is and
travel up to Little Rock with a neat experience for our kids to get to play at War Memorial Stadium and hopefully it’s not the last time we get to play there this year.”
The numbers for the Patriots on paper may seem gaudy, but the Razorbacks bring their own arsenal of fire power and high-caliber talent capable of striking quickly. While Parkview averages 49 points per outing, the Razorbacks’ offense tallies 33 points per game in their own right. Defensively for both squads, just two points separate the two, with the Patriots yielding just 13 points while the Razorbacks surrender only 15 themselves.
Fans can tune in to Real Country 98.7 FM, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the Arkansas High pregame show.